Principles of Object-Oriented Software Development

Business Process Redesign

Business Process Redesign

Introduction

Business Objects -- The San Francisco Framework Business Process Modeling Object-Oriented Simulation Visualization support Migrating from legacy systems

Summary Q/A Literature Literature

Business Process Redesign

• business objects -- The San Francisco Framework

• business process modeling -- simulation

• visualization support -- collaboration and decision making

• migrating from legacy applications -- business objects

Additional keywords and phrases:business objects, business logistics, frameworks, object-oriented simulation

Business Objects

San Francisco Framework

Business Objects

access to (relational) data

Designer -- define data model

universes, classes, objects -- shield from tables

Business User -- deploy views

select, order, summarize, aggregate, tabulate

The San Francisco Framework

(Business) Frameworks

• collection of components

• generic solution for a class of problems

• frame of mind for solving problems

• set of architectural constraints

The San Francisco Framework

Core Business Processes

Accounts Receivable/Payable General Ledger Framework Sales Order Management Framework Purchase Order management Framework

Common Business Objects

Business Partner, Address, Number, Currency

Foundation Object Model Classes

Command, Entity, Dependent, Collection/Iterator, Factory

San Francisco Object Layers

Refining Quality Control

Business Process Modeling

Subsections:

Logistics-based modeling Business process simulation Example -- requests for loans

Logistics-based modeling

• the time spent in executing a business process

criteria for redesign

Product lead time

• processing time -- actual working time

• queue time -- waiting for a resource

• setup time -- for the job to get started

• wait time -- waiting for a job to complete

• transport time -- between resources or operations

time between order and delivery

Logistics-based business models

Logistics-based modeling

• operation -- processing component

• task -- a series of consecutive operations

• transport -- transport of information

• choice -- affects flow of information

• organizational units -- to represent departmental boundaries

• external agents -- opaque entities

• archives -- paper-based storage facilities

primitives

Business Process Simulation

• data -- which represents the product or case, i.e. the

• information, that flows through the process. • datahandler -- which is the basis for all classes

that handle information.

Derived from datahandler class:

• operation -- executed by employee

• transport -- connects datahandlers

• waitqueue -- wait for processing

• choice -- to model alternatives

• archive -- for storage of resources

• external agent -- blackbox entity

Example -- requests for loans

Processing alternatives

Current Situation:

Our first model, slide models (left), which represents the current situation, consists of a client producing, for example requests for a loan at a bank. The requests are initially handled by a clerk whose task is to send requests for amounts greater than 10000 dollars to the boss. The boss, whose task is to approve or deny the loan, sends the result back to the clerk for processing. If the amount is less than 10000 dollars, the clerk has authority to process the request himself.

Redesign Alternative: In our second model, slide models(right), which is the result of a redesign effort, requests are handled by a clerk who enters the data into a computer. The computer now makes the decision as to whether the loan is approved - for loans of value less than and greater than 10000 dollars. The clerk then passes the results on to another clerk for the task of dispatching loans.

Presenting a Redesign Alternative

histogram leadtimes agent client generate leadtimes client -duration 60 poisson transport t1 t1 -duration 20 employee clerk operation receive clerk receive -duration 20.0 5.0 normal

The script

Object-Oriented Simulation

The SIM library

Simulation classes

• simulation -- the scheduler

• event -- representing the events

• entity -- process consisting of events

• generator -- random distributions

• resource -- to model passive objects

• queue -- to hold waiting events

• histogram -- to plot the results

• analysis -- for statistical analyses

State diagram for event

Event states

• passive - currently not available for any processing

• active - this is the event currently being processed

• queued - the event is in a queue

• pending - the event is in the scheduler

• conditional - the event is on the conditional list

• closed - on the conditional list but unavailable

Example -- dining philosophers

Visualization support

Subsections:

Interactive Information Visualization DIVA -- distributed visualization architecture

Retail USA -- (c) 1995-1999 Visible Decisions Inc

So many users, so many perspectives

In3D Architecture

Interaction -- visualization

• selection -- clicking a view -> action

• brushing -- display detailed information

• controllers -- sliders and buttons for manipulation

• filtering -- apply constraints on the data

• sensors -- triggered by user navigation

• navigation -- move around and explore

• commands -- user-defined macros

DIVA - distributed visualisation architecture

Conceptual architecture (DIVA)

DIVA is based on three requirements

• to allow for multiple views or perspectives, according to the users' information needs;

• to provide adaptive visualizations, allowing for experimentation; and

• to support a networked, Web-based infrastructure.

Screenshot

Collaborative visualization

• sessions -- meetings/roles

• roles -- chair, listener, talker, interactor

• interactor -- dispruptive or non-disruptive

• perspectives -- sharing and enforcing

• communication -- telepointers, chatting, ...

Architecture DIVA -- display agents

Migrating from legacy applications

Three tier architecture

Summary

Business Objects -- San Francisco Framework

• business objects -- access to relational data

• framework -- collection of components

• generic solution for a class of problems -- frame of mind

• architectural constraints -- Java, Web-aware applications

1

Business Process Modeling

• logistics-based modeling

• business process simulation

• example -- requests for loans

2

Object-Oriented Simulation

• simulation classes -- event, entity, generator, resource, queue

• event scheduling strategy -- conditional, passive, pending

• dining philosophers -- events versus processes

3

Visualization support

• So many users, so many perspectives

• DIVA -- distributed visualization architecture

4

Migrating from legacyapplications

• fat versus thin clients -- screen scraping

• Web-aware applications -- wrapping the legacy

5

Questions1. Why would you need business objects? Discuss this from the perspective of the end-user as well as from the perspective of management. 2. What are the motivations underlying the San Francisco framework? 3. Give an overview of the component layers constituting the San Francisco framework. 4. Explain the goals of logistics-based business modeling. Discuss possible means to support business modeling. 5. Give an example of business process simulation. 6. What classes can you think of for a library supporting object-oriented simulation? 7. What are the requirements for visualization support? Can you think of actual classes? 8. Discuss the issues that may arise in migrating from legacy applications? What possible solutions can you think of?

Further reading

For more information on business process redesign, consult [Davenport90], [Hammer90] and [Wastell94]. For an in depth treatment of simulation, you may read for example [Watkins93].